There’s an old saying if you think safety is expensive, try an accident. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is an independent, non-regulatory federal agency charged with investigating catastrophic chemical accidents. CSB’s vision is a nation safe from chemical disasters. In addition to identifying the causes of an incident, the CSB uncovers factors that exacerbate its consequences, contributing to loss of life and property. The CSB has investigated more than 130 incidents and estimates that hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent as a result of chemical disasters in the U.S, and that doesn’t take into account lost lives. It is critical that chemical safety lessons are learned and shared among diverse stakeholders. In my talk, I will share how CSB investigations distill safety insights from incidents and how CSB engages industry, unions, standards-setting organizations, regulators, and academia in a collaborative effort to create a culture of safety. Finally, I will provide insights into instilling a safety culture institutionally and the role of leadership in implementing reforms.

The Chemical Safety Board: Safety is good business and good policy

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.